THE Philippine National Police-Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) yesterday filed sedition and inciting to sedition charges before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against two lawyers of Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) founder Apollo Quiboloy and 11 others in relation to public statements they made during the 16-day police operation to serve arrest warrants against the pastor and his four co-accused in child abuse and human trafficking cases.
Thousands of policemen swooped down at the KOJC compound in Davao City on August 24 and searched for Quiboloy and his cohorts among the dozens of structures inside the more than 30-hectare property.
Quiboloy and his companions surrendered to authorities on September 8 after they were given a 24-hour ultimatum, otherwise policemen will assault the building where they were hiding.
Sued for sedition and inciting to sedition were lawyer Israelito Torreon, lawyer Marie Dinah Tolentino, former NTF-ELCAC spokesperson and SMNI host Lorraine Badoy-Partosa, Jeffrey “Ka Eric” Celis, Carlo Catil, Kathleen Kaye Laurente, Trinidad Arafol, Lord Byron Cristobal, Joey Espina Sun, Esteban Lava, Jose Lim III.
Also included in the complaints are several John and Jane Does.
PNP-CIDG acting Director Brig. Gen. Nicolas Torre III personally filed the complaint. Torre, who was the police regional director at the time of the operation, was the overall team commander that led the raid on the KOJC property.
“There are two cases we filed today against the same set of people. We filed charges against 13 people today with other John Does and Jane Does. The two cases are sedition and inciting to sedition,” Torre said in a chance interview after filing the complaint.
He said the actions of Torreon and the others, including “calling on the people to rise against the government to prevent the police from serving the warrants of arrest” can be collectively considered as “acts against the government” and fall under the crime of sedition and inciting to sedition.
The crime of sedition includes a person’s conduct, remarks or speech inciting the public to move against the State or duly-constituted authorities.
“Sa definition ng sedition at inciting to sedition, pumasok ang kanilang mga ginawa, including pagpipigil ng instrumentalities ng ating gobyerno sa pag-carry out ng kanilang mandate, kasama ‘yon sa magiging ebidensya natin (Their actions fall under the definition of sedition and inciting to sedition, including their acts to prevent instrumentalities of the government to carry out its mandate [of arresting Quiboloy]. These will be among our evidence),” said Torre.
He said the public saw how followers of Quiboloy prevented authorities from serving the arrest warrants against the then five fugitives.
“Nakita niyo naman (You all witnessed that) the government was serving a warrant of arrest against the five fugitives and they were preventing us from doing so,” he said.
He said the specific acts of the accused will be clarified during the preliminary investigation as additional documentary evidence will be submitted to the DOJ.
“These (sedition and inciting to sedition) are aside from the other cases that we filed like direct assault, physical injuries against our policemen, disobedience that we lodged before the courts,” Torre also said without giving details.
PNP spokesperson Brig. Gen. Jean Fajardo said more people will be criminally charged in connection with the police operation in KOJC.
“These are just the initial cases,” Fajardo told a press briefing at Camp Crame, referring to the sedition and inciting sedition cases the CIDG lodged before the DOJ.
OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE
“Aside from these cases, we are preparing a case for obstruction of justice,” Fajardo also said.
She said the PNP is still in the process of “documenting” the statements of some people “who said (the) pastor and the others were not there (at the KOJC compound) and if evidence warrants, they will be included in the obstruction of justice case.”
Asked if Vice President Sara Duterte will be among those who will be charged with obstruction of justice, Fajardo said: “Let’s just wait for the complaint. I don’t want to preempt the case that will be filed by the CIDG. We will have to wait.”
A week before the surrender of the 74-year-old Quiboloy, Duterte said she believes the religious leader is no longer in Davao City, and even joked that he was already in heaven.
The Vice President had also said that Quiboloy had a lot of time to leave the city because of the grandstanding in the Senate.
Fajardo said efforts to mislead authorities on the whereabouts of the religious leader will be presented as evidence in the case.
“Obviously, during the 16-day operation of the PNP (at KOJC), there is a deliberate attempt on their part to really hide and deny the whereabouts of Apollo Quiboloy and others,” she said.
“This is a clear indication that from the start, they have the intention to really deny the location of pastor Quiboloy. Their actions…. will serve as supporting evidence of the PNP in the sedition and inciting to sedition cases,” she also said.
HOSPITAL ARREST
Meanwhile, Pasig City Regional Trial Court Branch 159 Presiding Judge Rainelda Estacio-Montesa yesterday denied the petition of Quiboloy to be placed under hospital arrest.
Torreon confirmed the ruling and said their camp will likely file a motion for reconsideration.
“We received this morning, I think, an order denying it. So, we intend to file a motion for reconsideration,” Torreon said.
Despite the adverse ruling, Torreon said they are not losing hope the court will eventually grant Quiboloy’s plea.
“The penultimate portion of it naman there is a ray of hope, so we are relying on that,” he added, without providing the details and reason why the court rejected their request.
The court had earlier directed the PNP to conduct a medical assessment on Quiboloy after he filed a petition last month to be placed under hospital arrest.
He cited his supposed existing medical conditions to justify his plea.
The ruling junking Quiboloy’s plea was made in open court on Thursday.
The court also rejected the request for hospital arrest made by Quiboloy’s co-accused, Ingrid Canada.
Quiboloy and his co-accused are facing child abuse case before the Quezon City RTC and the non-bailable case for trafficking in persons before the Pasig RTC.
